One can confidently say that Martin Rathmann’s ‘professional’ career as a musician began at the age of 15, when he became the organist at the Sacred Heart Church (Herz-Jesu-Kirche) in Bernau, where he also conducted the children’s choir. Shortly afterwards, he completed studies (C-Examen) in church organ performance in the Diocese of Berlin.

He then went on to study at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music in Leipzig – initially with the organ as his principle subject. After 2 semesters, he also took up orchestral and choral conducting as a principle field of study. This culminated in university examinations in the subjects Conducting and Organ Performance.

As far back as his university days, he was already performing regularly as a solo organist and in a variety of musical ensembles. He also temporarily conducted the university choir, served as a guest conductor at various theatres, and completed internships. Even prior to completing his studies, he was appointed Second Associate Conductor (2nd Kapellmeister) and Musical Director at the Altenburg Landestheater. 

Following on from his decision to pursue church music, Martin Rathmann came to Berlin in 1992. The appropriate platforms on which to demonstrate his cross-parishional involvement, as well as his artistic and pedagogic qualities, soon presented themselves: firstly, in the form of a lectureship at the Archiepiscopal School for Sacred Music in Berlin (these days, he teaches church music at Berlin’s University of the Arts), and secondly, through an appointment as Regional Church Musician for the region ‘Nord’ in the Archdiocese of Berlin. ‘His’ territory can perhaps be summarised as follows: from St. Hedwig to the Baltic Sea coast, and from the Oder to the Elbe... (church districts Berlin-Mitte, Berlin-Reinickendorf, Vorpommern, Eberswalde and Wittenberge).

Rathmann is working as diocesan church musician in the Archdiocese of Berlin since 2019. He is responsible for diocese wide and national tasks in this position. 

From January 2009 to May 2010, he was a member of the Project Committee, ‘Church Music for the Ecumenical Church Conference 2010’ in Munich. His singing project, with choral music by J. S. Bach: ‘Music of Hope – Sound of The Gospel’, was a great success.

Martin Rathmann was also very important in the planning and carrying out of the 100th German Catholic Convention in Leipzig in 2016. He was responsible for all music at the Corpus Christi Mass (broadcast live on ARD). He invited the parish church choirs of the Diocese Dresden-Meissen to take part in a project choir. A total of 230 singers participated....

In summer 2011 he gave a first-time guest performance in Japan with trumpet player Kiichi Yotsumoto. Concerts took place in Kobe, Osaka, Yokohama and Tokyo. Further concert dates led him, among other places, to Ulm Cathedral, to the Cathedral of Meissen, the Cathedral of Bad Doberan, etc. In Berlin he was a guest in the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral. In 2019 he appeared for the third time in Japan, where his concerts in Kobe and Tokyo (Tama, Komatsugawa) were very well received.

His musical home parish is St. Marien, Berlin-Reinickendorf. At this church, he is currently in charge of 7 groups (e.g. children’s and young persons’ choir, chorus, men’s choir, ‘Singgemeinschaft’ singing community).
Concerts take place on a regular basis. Particularly regarded are the catechistic principles ‘Thoughts - Music – Prayers’ and ‘Sound – Image’, which he established himself.